Biden signs an Executive Order under the watchfull eyes of Kamala Harris<\/p>\n
No one saw this coming: Neither the real Joe Biden nor the fake Joe Biden has held a news conference since Inauguration Day.<\/p>\n
Over the past 100 years, no president has gone as long<\/a> as Biden without conducting a formal session with White House reporters. And \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d has never gone this far into a new president\u2019s term without having someone portraying him in a sketch. The last time a Biden character appeared on “SNL<\/a>” was back on Dec. 19, when Alex Moffat offered a tame impersonation of the president-elect.<\/p>\n What\u2019s going on here? Is the White House worried about a gaffe or poor showing by the new president? Fox News and other conservative outlets are eagerly promoting such speculation.<\/p>\n Is “SNL” afraid of making jokes at the new president\u2019s expense? Producers seem unsure about what to do with Biden, despite their rich history of mocking politicians from both parties.<\/p>\n Maybe both conditions are circumstantial and soon to be corrected, but right now neither looks good.<\/p>\n Donald Trump<\/a> and Barack Obama<\/a> each held solo news conferences during their first month in office. The Biden administration, however, is focused on major congressional hurdles \u2014 the COVID-19 relief bill and Cabinet confirmations \u2014 to a point where freewheeling questions from the press corps might place the new president in a difficult spot.<\/p>\n But at a time when true transparency is desperately needed in government, especially on the heels of Trump and an administration that favored \u201calternative facts<\/a>,\u201d Biden is making a mistake by being so guarded with White House reporters.<\/p>\n Late in Trump\u2019s presidency, he used televised news conferences to deliver long-winded, factually flawed speeches. When he did take questions he berated several reporters \u2014 mostly women \u2014 and relied on softball queries from conservative media to dodge real issues facing the nation. Biden can and must do better, and he should get to it quickly.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, viewers of \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d are probably wondering what\u2019s the deal with Biden? He is mentioned briefly on “Weekend Update,” but there has yet to be a sketch with a Biden character in 2021.<\/p>\nPresident Biden needs to hold a news conference<\/h2>\n